CNA Programs and questions

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Specializes in Nursing Home.

I am planning on taking a CNA class in may. I plan to become certified and to be working PRN by september in a hospital. In september I plan to start an RN associate degree program at my local community college. I hope to work maybe everyother weekend or every other saturday, or one weekend out the month, to just make a little money to save, and pay for certain expenses, and also to gain some experience in the Nursing field (i hear that community colleges look at this when selcting students in the nursing program). Will i have a hard time working PRN as CNA while in college? Is it worth being a CNA before an RN? If I start a CNA program at a Vo Tech in may, will I be Certified by the time the fall semster of community college starts? What are CNA duties in a med surg hospital setting? Approx how much will this program cost at a Vo Tech?

Any Input would be very informative, Thanks :-)

I'm a full-time sophomore at a public university, and I work PRN as a CNA. My advice would be to find a work environment with competent management that have good communication skills. You do NOT want to get mixed up with a facility that can't even remember if you're part-time, full-time, or PRN. My facility does that and it gets annoying explaining to them week in and week out that I am carrying 17 credit hours to keep my scholarship, while working and dealing with their nonsense. Good luck!

Specializes in Nursing Home.

Thank you, and I will try to find the best facility possible!!!

Specializes in ER, progressive care.

Check out the PRN requirements, as every hospital is different. I worked PRN as a nurse tech at one and we had to meet the minimum requirement of 4 shifts/month with at least 1 weekend shift. They could be 8's or 12's and our weekend shift could even be 4 hours or some other random number. It was not difficult working PRN and going to school full-time. Sometimes I would only commit to one 8-hour shift/week and that was fine. School was my top priority, but being able to work as a tech or CNA is invaluable experience.

Typical CNA duties include:

* basic patient care (grooming/hygiene, bathing, toileting, feeding, skin care)

* intake & output

* vital signs (and reporting any abnormal vital signs to the RN or LPN)

* checking blood sugars

* patient transfers (helping them up, ambulating, transferring from units, taking patients down for tests)

* answering call lights

Here in Chicago, many of the hospitals and clinics that i contacted told me that they only work with "students" from certain schools. Most prefer that you are already certified before hiring you. You should really consider going to a community or vocational school. You will get both classroom and clinical training that will equip you to take the state exam.

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